"Wouldn't surprise me if the tables turned the next time around" - Rob Walter backs Proteas to beat India if they meet again in 2023 World Cup
South Africa's white-ball coach Rob Walter reckons the result could be different if they meet India in the 2023 World Cup final. Walter backed Temba Bavuma and co. to learn their lessons quickly from their massive loss to India on Sunday (November 5) in Kolkata.
The Proteas suffered their biggest ODI loss as India trounced them by 243 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After posting an imposing total of 326, the hosts skittled out the opposition for 83 as Ravindra Jadeja took a fifer.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Walter feels the sport teaches new lessons everyday and hopes South Africa can take them moving forward. He said:
"Yeah, this game is a funny game and you get taught new lessons every single day and get surprised every single day. So, it wouldn't surprise me if the tables turned the next time around. The beauty of it is that there may well be another shot for us and we've been given an opportunity to learn from."
The Proteas have done magnificently in the tournament while batting first, but were exposed again while chasing. They had earlier lost to the Netherlands and barely got home against Pakistan.
"They've won every game and they've won it well" - Rob Walter on India
The 48-year-old admitted that the Proteas didn't execute their skills well and underlined it's critical to do so against a world-class side against India. He said:
"I mean, they're a hell of a team. And very well balanced and highly skilled. There's no way around it. They've won every game and they've won it well. You have to believe that on a day if you execute your skills, you've also got a chance and we just didn't right from the word go."
Walter also backed Marco Jansen to bounce back in the upcoming matches after struggling in Kolkata, adding:
"We know already what Marco Jansen can do with a new ball, today was an off day, the guy's a young guy playing in a World Cup, he's played seven excellent games to point and didn't have a great start today and could just as easily bowl very well the next time we find ourselves against him if we're able to."
South Africa will face Afghanistan in their final league game in Ahmedabad on November 10.